4 Surprising Causes Of Sudden Weight Gain

There is nothing worse than being on a diet and suddenly finding that it is not working. But perhaps one thing which could be worse is also not knowing why it’s not even working. If you have experienced this unfortunate malady, you will be aware of how distressing and concerning it can feel. The truth is that there are often a number of reasons behind weight gain which you would never expect, and it is worth knowing about as many of them as you can, so that you can do whatever is in your power to stop them from happening in future. In this article, we are going to look at just a few examples of the kinds of thing which can cause sudden weight gain, and help to put you off your course when dieting.

Stress

It is usually the case that we try to diet during stressful times in life. This is because it is these big, important life events which tend to push us towards things like dieting. However, in a way this does not actually help the cause, as it is proven that stress can have a negative effect on such efforts. We are not just talking about stress-eating here, although for many people that does certainly play a role. It’s more the fact that when you are stressed, your body releases the chemical cortisol – a somewhat toxic chemical which can actually have a number of negative effects on the body. One such effect is to increase our appetite – but cortisol also has a way of actually slowing down the metabolism. This makes it much easier to put on weight fast. Sofi you are hoping to slim down, remember to also calm down.

Infection

You might not consider that infections can play a role in whether or not you lose your target weight – but they can. If you develop a certain kind of infection at just the wrong time, it can mean that you have a much harder time keeping the weight off – or even that you end up actively putting more on when you least expect it. To take an example from patient.info, one condition which can arise from an infection is hypothyroidism – also known as an underactive thyroid. When an infection gets too bad, it can lead to a virus called autoimmune thyroiditis, which in turn causes hypothyroidism. This then means that you are more likely to put on weight, and in fact that is one of the major symptoms of this condition. So if you are putting on plenty of weight, it might be worth checking to see if you have caught any viruses. If so, you can get the necessary treatment and then continue dieting.

Insomnia

If you suffer with insomnia at all, you will know that it can have a huge effect on your quality of life. It is hard to fully appreciate the kind of suffering that insomnia can put you through unless you go through it yourself. One possible outcome of not sleeping much is that you put on a lot of weight quickly. There are two things to consider in order to understand this process more clearly. One is that being up late is often corresponded strongly with eating late at night too, and in this way you will obviously put on more weight. The other, however, is more of a hormonal issue. Suffering with insomnia brings about a change in hormones which in turn increases hunger and appetite, and makes you feel less full after eating. So it might be a good idea to look into getting some decent sleep therapy if you are struggling on the front. That alone could make a big difference to your dieting efforts.

Medication

If you are on any medication whatsoever, you might want to look at the side effects to see whether weight gain is a likely one. It is for a huge number of medications, so it is definitely best just to check. However, it is even more likely for certain meds in particular – most notably, antidepressants and steroids. You should not stop taking antidepressants suddenly without medical advice, so it is best to first speak to your doctor if you want to change the amount you are taking. Similarly, steroids can cause other a temporary or a permanent change in weight, and if it is a concern you should again speak to your doctor.

Bear the above in mind when you are trying to lose weight, and you will find that it is much easier to do so.